Rant: Restaurants & Wine Lists

For some people, a restaurant's wine list can be intimidating, especially if it's lengthy, so they will tend to select wines familiar to them. For adventurous wine lovers, a restaurant's wine list can be exciting and intriguing, offering a plethora of interesting choices. Unfortunately, not all wine lists are accurate, and that can be frustrating for the consumer. I encountered such a situation recently, and it was certainly frustrating to me. 

Initially, I was intrigued by the wine list, which was predominantly French, but with other interesting choices as well. I selected a wine which I expected would pair well with our dinner. When the wine was brought to the table, and I examined the label, I discovered that the vintage differed from the wine list, that is was from 2019 rather than 2016. Obviously, the server hadn't checked the vintage before bringing it to our table. With this wine, I believed the vintage mattered, so I rejected the wine.

I then selected a different wine, a similar style to the first, but was later told that it was not available, and they were awaiting a delivery. Strike 2.

After reviewing the wine list again, I chose a different wine. When it was presented at the table, I found that once again, the vintage was different from the wine list, although this time, the list stated it was 2019 but the wine brought to the table was from 2017. The server had once again not checked the vintage before bringing the wine to the table. Strike 3. 

I accepted this wine, of which I was familiar, and it was a delicious choice. It was also reasonably priced. 

Wine lists should be as accurate as possible, and I understand the occasional error, which might be a typo or just a simple mistake. However, when I select three different wines, and one isn't available and two have the wrong vintage, then that wine list has issues. This wine list had been recently updated, with specific recommended options for the dinner, so I would have expected it to be more accurate. If it had been an older list, which hadn't been updated in some time, maybe I would have expected less. 

One more issue dismayed me about their wine service. We ordered a second bottle of the third wine, and after our server removed the cork, the server poured the wine directly into our glasses, which still had a small bit of wine from the first bottle. The server did not allow us to taste this bottle, to ensure it was good. It might have been the same wine as our first, but it was a different bottle and one never knows what bottle variation you might find. It might have been corked for all we knew. Fortunately, there weren't any problems with the second bottle.

I hope restaurants take more care with their wine lists, to ensure they are as accurate as possible.